Private space exploration company SpaceX launched Nasa’s Jason-3 ocean-measuring satellite into orbit on Sunday, with the secondary aim of landing the rocket on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean failing.

The Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket lifted off from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base, with the spacecraft separating from the upper stage 56 minutes after liftoff.

However, the secondary aim of landing the rocket on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean failed, with SpaceX confirming on Twitter that it broken a landing leg after a “hard landing,” although it was on target.